Analysis: Seagulls have gained a fearsome reputation for stealing food from humans in the capital and elswhere, but it’s a different story in Cork
A colleague on a recent visit from Dublin remarked at being able to eat a sandwich outdoors in Cork city without being assaulted by ‘voracious gulls’. “Do you not have any seagulls in Cork?” he enquired with genuine amazement.
Well, of course we have seagulls and a fine variety too: herring gulls, lesser black-backed gulls, black-headed gulls and common gull in winter. In fact, gulls seem to be quite happy in Cork city and, as my colleague will confirm, they are very happy in Dublin also where they have gained a fearsome reputation for stealing food from unsuspecting humans. In fact, gulls are associated with this unsavoury activity in many cities across the developed world, but why not in Cork?
From RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime, why seagulls eat chips
Gulls occur across a wide range of habitats but, over the last five decades, are increasingly associated with urban living. There are many reasons for this shift into the cities, among them are: declining natural food in the form of reducing fish stocks; reduced scavenging opportunities following the closure of open landfill sites; abundant human food in cities; and safe nesting sites high up on rooftops and window ledges. It seems as though cities are favourable real estate for gulls.
Moving into a new environment presents a range of challenges to any animal, one of which is finding food. How do you find out what is good to eat? Here gulls have a few natural skills and stealing is one of them. Gulls, like many other bird species, are ‘kleptoparasites’ which means they steal from each other and from other species. This gives them the advantage of acquiring food without having to spend a lot of energy looking for it.
